Current Affairs Quiz-September, 2020

Notes:
As per the credit rating agency CRISIL, Indian economy will contract by 9 per cent in 2020-21 on account of COVID 19 pandemic.
The agency has stated that the infection is yet to peak and the financial assistance provided by the Government is not sufficient. Earlier in May 2020, Crisil had estimated the economy to contract by 5 per cent

Notes:
The Results of the 2nd edition of “Ranking of States on Support to Start-up Ecosystems – 2019” was released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
The ranking exercise has been carried out by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The ranking frame work has 7 broad reform areas, consisting of 30 action points. In this ranking exercise, 22 States and 3 Union Territories participated.

Notes:
A new study published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has found that Vitamin D supplements can decrease the rate of ICU admissions due to Covid-19.
The vitamin is found to be stimulating immune responses against various diseases including the novel coronavirus. The study was conducted on 76 patients who tested positive for Covid-19 in Spain. The patients who received the supplement were discharged without complications.

Notes:
The Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC) was established by the Ministry of Textiles in 1982, to promote export of Carpets and other allied Products from India.
Recently, CEPC was in news as the organization has announced a three-day virtual Buyer-Seller Meet. The programme is to focus on Australia and adjoining countries, as India is the biggest exporter of handmade carpets to those countries.

Notes:
According to the Asian Development Bank, Asia’s economy will contract for the first time since the early 1960s.
The bank had earlier projected that the GDP would grow by 0.1 per cent. Now, it is estimated that Asia’s GDP would decline by 0.7 per cent in 2020 and would increase to 7.7 per cent in 2021. It also highlighted that the GD in India would contract by 9% this year.

Notes:
Social media Major Facebook has partnered with the leading edu-tech platform Coursera, to launch Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate.
As per a joint official release of the two companies, under the five-course program, learners are trained in social media marketing including Creating impactful content, Protecting user data. The learners are made ready for related jobs with top employers.

Notes:
The new Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020, introduced by the government empowers RBI to restructure Cooperative banks.
The bill was tabled on the first day of the Parliament’s Monsoon Session by the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The bill which came in the form of ordinance was earlier withdrawn. Under this amendment, the Reserve Bank of India can restructure distressed cooperative banks.

Notes:
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India has banned the export of all varieties of onions, except for those in cut, sliced or in powder form.
This has been done to increase the supply of onion in the county and to bring down its market price. The provision under Section 3 of Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992 is used by the ministry in this regard.

Notes:
The United States of America issued a new advisory warning against travel to China and Hong Kong. US authorities have cited risk of “arbitrary detention” and “arbitrary enforcement of local laws.”
The advisory states that U.S. citizens traveling or residing in China or Hong Kong, may be detained without access to U.S. consular services. The advisory has also stated that, U.S. citizens may be subjected to prolonged interrogations and extended detention.

Notes:
Tata Projects Limited has won the contract bid to construct the new Parliament building.
The construction of the parliament building is a part of the Central Vista redevelopment project. The Central Vista redevelopment project consists of a triangular Parliament building, a common central secretariat and revamping of the 3 km-long Rajpath. Tata Projects Ltd had submitted a bid of Rs 861.90 crore.